HJS pre-rehearsal with Symphony On the Bay Orchestra

Halton JAZZ Singers [Lorinel, Darcea, Ryan & Jason] have every right to be proud & humbled at the same time!  For approximately 2 minutes, at 9:58 p.m. on July 1st, 2016 at Burlington’s Spencer Smith Park, these 4 musician singers brought their music commitment from the past months, to the mics to render a 4 part vocal jazz arrangement of O Canada by Brad Rees, UNC Jazz Time Press.

“Let’s do it” O Canada!

There were moments of ‘will it work?’ … over the previous  months – then the night before at 9:15 p.m at Burlington’s Brant Hills Community Center, the singers lugged their sound system in to the small, cramped room where more than 50 musicians of Symphony on the Bay Orchestra were rehearsing;

Halton JAZZ Singers IN REHEARSAL with Symphony on the Bay Orchestra

Contrary to our experienced expectation of a 4 bar intro to “O Canada” Symphony On the Bay Orchestra’s Maestro Claudio Vena stated, “its the timpani only..” ah so kind to vocal ‘prowess’ a note from a drum!?… However, being the musicians that we are,…. we were/not phased!… pitch pipe please prior to stage entry!… and…

It happened!  Introduction of Halton JAZZ Singers… walk on!  Positions!  Timpani drum roll please… and then…“O Canada – the HJS way!”